Anybody here using SSL's Pro Convert? If that guarantuees PTHD compatibility it could be a neat solution for those who want to switch platforms.

For me, ProTools LE has no added value over Steinberg/MOTU/Logic, and HD is just too much $$$. Not just the hardware, but all your plug-ins etc. cost twice as much without offering added functionality.

However it would be incredibly hilarious in a sarcastic way that they do release a native system soon, just after all the digi-rebate HD discounts they been having, considering that a lot of users have bought an HD system just because of that discount

MAybe they'll make some sort of Express card or even Ethernet connectivity solution for the existing HD systems - so they can be used with laptops - before they phase them out?

Fairlight is king of the hill for DAW's for very high track counts like in film/post. The few customers with those specific needs are already being served by Fairlight, Digi just can't perform at that level (their hardware can't cut it). I think a basic Fairlight system starts at $30k but it is miles ahead of what the rest of the pack can do.

Maybe, to be honest, in my studio i dont use LE i use HD, not because of the lack of processing power LE has, but the track count and specially the other extras that HD has, such as delay compensation, extra automation modes and features, time code capability, etc... The real reason why i use PT is because i love the software, and trust me i've used Logic, Cubase, Sonar, etc... those have cool features, but none are close to PT.

From a production point of view, Logic seems to be like the way to go, but i've mixed a lot of tunes in Logic when i was asked to, and to be honest its a nightmare, editing in logic is the worst ive ever seen, even the zoom function is a wreck, you get lost easily, the automation is not accurate, big steps are a must, and dont get me started on the routing.

The real reason why PT is the standard, is therfore the software, its fast, easy, straightforward and reliable, it is true that im used to working on PT, but still i think its the best so far, even with all its restrictions.

Look inside and you will see some people using it and all of the system capabilities.

I still use PT because it is an industry standard but just to say whatever will be PT next move the technology has been there for years.
I ve demoed the CC 2 years ago it supported vst and you had fairlight full eq and processing on each track
Full parametric Fairlight eq plus 4 stages of fairlight dynamic on each track.
One video track full HD
I could do some time stretch while playback running on a 100+ tracks session with video without having no glitch or slow down.

Enough said heh Beta was better than VHS and DVD Audio is better than CDs. Neither caught on.

It's been almost a decade since digi has really given us anything new. Let's see what's what. If folks were going to dump their PT HD rigs for fairlights they would have done it by now.

Yes I still use PT because I am not a major actor in this business and I do not own my studio (not yet)
But if I had both I would certainly go to fairlight and have a small PTLe to transfer sessions.
It would certainly not change my mixing skills but would mosdef speed up my workflow and concentrate even more on the mix.

By the way if when I ll have my studio I ll put an SSL 9K as main controller

Wow, that is my idea of a nightmare in a studio! A DAW is not an exclusively one-app workstation. Radar never caught on for good reason. When you buy into a total DAW system like the PT system, it is expected and assumed that that DAW system will be your complete system. I NEED run iTunes, Quicktime Toast, Logic etc etc etc. Ouch, could you imagine, being STUCK in a exclusively Fairlight system? I would need two powerful computers, running in parallel with mouse and screen switching because there is no way in hell I would exclusively use a closed system.

Wow, that is my idea of a nightmare in a studio! A DAW is not an exclusively one-app workstation. Radar never caught on for good reason. When you buy into a total DAW system like the PT system, it is expected and assumed that that DAW system will be your complete system. I NEED run iTunes, Quicktime Toast, Logic etc etc etc. Ouch, could you imagine, being STUCK in a exclusively Fairlight system? I would need two powerful computers, running in parallel with mouse and screen switching because there is no way in hell I would exclusively use a closed system.

I don't care having an exclusive system and I have a laptop to burn play itunes post on gearslutz...
With that said, I really would like a native solution as stable and efficient with the possibility to to do all the above and play ps3 games on it.

Look inside and you will see some people using it and all of the system capabilities.

I still use PT because it is an industry standard but just to say whatever will be PT next move the technology has been there for years.
I ve demoed the CC 2 years ago it supported vst and you had fairlight full eq and processing on each track
Full parametric Fairlight eq plus 4 stages of fairlight dynamic on each track.
One video track full HD
I could do some time stretch while playback running on a 100+ tracks session with video without having no glitch or slow down.

I saw a demo of a Fairlight system last year and all I can say is

My memory is foggy but the representative opened somewhere around the vicinity of a 250 track session, running full HD video, every track had at least two or more plug ins. Guess how long it took to open from program launch to session ready to go?

3 seconds.

"Now go ask the Pro Tools guys over there to do that!" He says

Now if I was into that kind of thing and had the dosh, I could definitely see the advantage of a system that powerful.

My memory is foggy but the representative opened somewhere around the vicinity of a 250 track session, running full HD video, every track had at least two or more plug ins. Guess how long it took to open from program launch to session ready to go?

3 seconds.

"Now go ask the Pro Tools guys over there to do that!" He says

Now if I was into that kind of thing and had the dosh, I could definitely see the advantage of a system that powerful.

Not to mention the full customizable work surface/keys!

Yeah and it is not really that expensive.
For 12000$ you have got pro tools HD8 like processing power 200+ tracks full processing and like 64 Madi out.

What makes you think I have an NDA? I'm not in the about box. Nice try.

Just guessing and rumors.

I know for a fact there is "Drew Mazurek" in the about screen rolling credits of PTMP 8.0.1cs2 Mac Intel. Would you like a screencap? Something to show your grandkids. Unless there is another Drew Mazurek out there that will rudely defend Avid in every forum available. I would have imagined the About Box people were all under NDAs and that section of it appeared to be beta testers. Bob Ohlsson was also listed. Maybe if you are simply a frequent Avid apologist you get listed?

My thoughts on the subject. Seriously doubt if Avid was coming out with a "HD killer" they would tell Sweetwater sales people about it before they did an announcement on their own. If they announce anything next week it will be software.

for me, i think one big thing is avid simply not having a middle tier. i mean, face it, ptle is no different from the cubase le version you might get bundled with whatever cheapie audio interface. it's EXACTLY the same, and measured to that competition, it's roughly equivalent. it doesn't measure up to a logic pro, any more than a cubase le bundled edition could hope to.
the problem is that ptle costs are within the same ballpark as unlimited native software, and after adding all the bells and whistles to le for an approximation of feature parity, you're still stuck with the limitations, and you'd spent twice what the unlimited daw would've cost you in the first place.
the pro-sumer enthusiast market is wise to this, and all pt really offers this crowd is some extra editing features. the "name" isn't terribly important for these folks, hd is pretty much out of the question for most, and those editing features just aren't enough to offset the limitations, or the feature and performance lag as compared to other options available.
i'd probably drop le pricewise, and introduce an unlimited (open) native system that's actually competitive with the other such systems out there at the $600-800 pricepoint. allow the full native systems to allow the integration of hd cards too...to promote easy growth if necessary, kinda like how pyramix does it. since hd wouldn't go away, those users wouldn't get left out in the cold, but could similarly take advantage of the new native engine.

k

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipass

Protools is 10 years ahead of every other audio DAW around.

their coolest recent additions were courtesy of other companies they acquired, and have been available to native users elsewhere for at least a decade now in some fashion. so it's really more the reverse. that's not a dis, either...imo it's a sane strategy on digi/avid's part. cherry-pick the best, most solid technologies or implementations, and add them when they're known to work. it'd be senseless to actually develop stuff and burn the serious users with the typical perpetual beta-feature nightmare. if my primary client base was big studios and the like, i'd do it exactly the same way they have...conservative and careful.

Sorry I have seen that post and even reread it. Don't know what it has to do with what I stated. I am sure they get a heads up on products. Just stating that if it was something extremely big like a "HD killer" they wouldn't. Which just lends more to me thinking it's just a software update. For example if it is a software update there are many people aware of it, ie beta testers. So educating a sales staff a week before hand wouldn't be as big of a deal. Maybe I am just missing something, if so my apologies and please let me know.

It's rumored to be essentially an official version of the crack: a software emulator of the hardware cards that allows native CPU to run more of the engine through the existing i/o hardware. They may have even developed an emulator that allows TDM plugins to run without recompilation on the native CPU. So an HD1 will suddenly be useful again rather than just a demo, though you will still need card-based DSP for low-latency DSP (that's just laws of physics).

The announcement next week may just be a promotion for HD where you get the PTIEP included free and stuff is bundled more attractively. Or it may be an HD-only version of that technology. Like with 8.0.4, they are treating HD shops as beta sites because it's a smaller and more skilled population to figure the bugs out on before unleashing them on the unwarshed LE hordes. Most HD shops in music rely on 7.4 still anyway. So this may be the new engine, just for HD.

At AES that engine may be announced for LE, and at winter NAMM the new hardware for LE may appear. That will fully rely on that engine and may be either in the form of a PCIe card that has little or no DSP on it but allows Digilink or MADI connectivity, or Eleven Rack-like boxes with a bit of DSP and firewire, USB3, or lightpeak connectivity. Probably a 192i/o refresh then too, and Eucon support.

All of this stuff may take till 2011 to get into customers' hands and deep into 2011 to stabilize into a production platform.

That's the best of the rumors as I understand them. They were hoping for this to ship for AES 2009, bion. This is why they are most uptight about timing announcements: they aren't embarrassed about what they are doing, they are embarrassed it is taking them so long, and that pirates beat them to market with the concept.

On the other hand... Sweetwater's response could indeed suggest something big. Why would 'a large number' out of no less than 125 salespeople be 'very upset' because of a minor leak?

They could of course all be drama queens like the one who had to go, but...

Anyhow, we'll know tomorrow.

I think that's just general business practice. Brad was representing Sweetwater in that post, if you like it or not, and so Sweetwater basically leaked info about the announcement. It sucks, but that's just how it is.